1885 Grill - A Cheesy Kind Of Place

1885 Grill on St. Elmo Avenue

Pimento Cheese and Okra appetizer

Macaroni and cheese

Blackened Trout with vegetables and hushpuppies

Blackend Trout from Pickett's Ranch with a baked potato

When my son Jack and I passed a restaurant on St. Elmo Avenue, I remembered that I had been there before, but it had a different name. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to go where I have already been, but Jack said it would be okay and insisted that we try it because he heard this new place sold out of their blackened trout faster than they swim in!

Aside from a little ‘Déjà vu’ when we sat down outside, everything else was different. 1885 Grill is located at 3914 St Elmo Ave. where Blacksmith’s Bistro used to be.

When I went to the bathroom, there was no hanger for my pocket book and I don’t like putting it down on the floor (maybe that will be on their list as the next item to remodel).

By the time I came back to the table, Jack had ordered an appetizer “Pimento Cheese and Okra” for $7. A sandwich spread and a vegetable? What kind of concoction was that?! Jack said it was ‘recommended by our server’ and a very popular dish that he wanted to try. Of course he did – anything smothered in cheese is considered gourmet for Jack. Why, he’d probably like cheese-flavored bananas!

Since I started this little hobby though, I have gotten fairly brave in trying strange things. We both ordered the Blackened Trout for 17.90 so at least we would have a conventional meal. Jack ordered a baked potato for his side and, you guessed it – mac and cheese. I ordered sautéed vegetables and hush puppies to go with mine.

When the appetizer arrived, I have to admit the way they cooked the okra made it look very appe-TIZING. It was whole okra and the batter was crispy. I wasn’t fond of their pimento cheese or the combination with the pita bread or okra. I tried it together and tried it alone, but I did like the okra! It was very good. I think it would have been a better dish if they had put more okra on the plate and less pimento cheese and bread.

After I had tried two bites, Jack ate the rest. He said, “Mom, you always told me not to waste food and to finish everything on my plate.”

He finally listens to his mother when he is a ham sandwich away from 300 pounds (he tells me it is all ‘height’, but I think it’s all cheese).

When the trout arrived, it was ‘closed up’ and you could see the scales. Jack knew what to do and opened his filet with the skin side down – then it looked pretty tasty! It was seasoned perfectly and a nice size. My ‘sautéed veggies’ were just a couple of broccoli trees. I expected a medley of something, but it was just broccoli. Why didn’t they just say the vegetable of the day was broccoli?

To my surprise, the hush puppies had a kick! That complimented the trout very nicely. Jack tried one and said he thought it had jalapeño and he didn’t like it. I sure did. We both really enjoyed our meal and we liked the place.

I noticed how busy it was. I think they will do well – especially with their Trout. It was very good. I also noticed people at other tables had ordered the pimento cheese and okra dish too.

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